Decided to process curds.Added 2 tsp salt to curds as I milled them to smaller pieces.Placed a needlepoint disk under the cam mold in the minicave.Filled cam mold half-way up. Wait a minute...all this work and just this little bit of cheese? Wait for it...what was I thinking?

As I loaded the curds into the mold, I pressed down just a bit to try to gain a better knit.I covered the cam mold with a needlepoint disk and let it drain for 15 min.Flipped the mold and waited another 15 min.Continued to flip and wait over the course of another hour.

I set the minicave aside at room temperature and flipped it twice a day for the next several days.

June 28:Removed the mold.Smoothed all surfaces, filling in the crevices, using the back of a spoon. Not bad. Maybe a little dry.

Placed small containers of water in minicave.Put minicave into the cave @ 55F/87%RH.

June 29:Flipped cheese.

June 30:Flipped cheese. 52.8F/88%RHCan't seem to get the RH up. The lid of the minicave is sealed with those small dishes of water inside.

So I wait.

I should have used a P. Roquerforti culture for this first effort, but again...what was I thinking?

Last night I bought 4 gallons of milk for a more focused effort with the fresh culture from Glengarry.

Boofer, I've really got to hand it to ye - when I have an extra gallon of milk, the most industrious thing I ever do with it is some 30-minute mozz. Or on my laziest weeks, I just drink it. In any event, welcome to the Fun with Blues Club!

Hmmm, I wonder if it would be worth letting a piece of blue cheese "sit around" in the cave for a few days before starting the make, just to see if the blue mold will grow, or to get it growing so that the innoculation piece is "revved up", so to speak?

- Jeff

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The wise do not always start out on the right path, but they do know when to change course.

It's sometimes tough to use store bought inoculants for blues. The best results for me have actually been the cheap crumbles, because those tend to be made in large plants with good sanitary practices. Or I'll isolate first.

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Taking an extended leave (until 2015) from the forums to build out my farm and dairy. Please e-mail or PM if you need anything.

Yesterday I put that feeling of disappointment behind me when I used 4 gallons and ended up with a more respectable portion of cheese for my work.

Funny how making cheese from 1 or 10 gallons takes us the same amount of time or energy.

I am having an experiment right now to make cancoillotte with clabber. Since my last attempt was far from successful, I just used half a gallon of raw milk. It is in the press now, very much a thin galette. All those efforts for half a pound of cheese.